ECA WATER – The future of disinfection

A disinfectant should be able to destroy at least 99.999% of certain bacteria, both intestinal bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and pyogenic organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus within five minutes of use and at a temperature lower than 20ºC. Electrochemically activated (ECA) or electrolysed water is an environmentally friendly disinfectant that is produced by passing tap water mixed with a light saline solution through a process known as electrolysis by means of a continuous electric current. The type of electrolysed water depends on the structure of the electrolysis chamber and the process conditions. There are three aqueous solutions produced: acidic anolyte, neutral anolyte and alkaline catholyte.

We are going to focus on the neutral anolyte, or simply electrolysed water, because its properties are very desirable for the vegetable processing industry owing to its antimicrobial action against a wide variety of harmful micro-organisms such as E. coli and Salmonella. This water does not require the addition of other disinfectants, eliminating the risk caused by mixing volatile disinfectants and the resulting problem of environmental safety. The antibacterial effect is ultra fast and there are no residues. Moreover, if used in small doses, there is no impact on the flavour, smell and aroma of food, which means that it is an ideal solution for disinfecting raw foodstuffs. It destroys none of the vitamins and nutrients present in the food. Electrolysed water is also cost-effective because it only contains water and salt. It does away with the costs of use, risk mitigation, handling and storage involved with dry chemical products such as dry chlorine. The use of electrolysed water has no impact on the environment because the solution quickly loses its ”active chlorine” content once used, and it is disposed of down the drain.